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Published: March 3rd 2009
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We depart from the overnight train and get taxis back to The Viengtai Hotel, Bangkok, leave our bags and head off after breakfast to the Weekend Market at Chatuchak. We get a taxi there for 150 baht, which we thought was good as it was quite a long way. The market is huge and sells lots of clothes, tee shirts, shoes, food, pets and anything you could possibly want. There are thousand of stalls, we walked around a small area for about 90 mins buying tee shirts and presents. It was very hot and sticky the only air was when you passed a fan on a stall. We then moved on to the pet area, seeing what looked like pedigree cats and puppies, rabbits as well as snakes and all manner of fish. After this we are totally exhausted with the heat and decide to head back by sky train to our hotel which in the end turned out to cost more than the taxi earlier. Tonight is our farewell dinner with our tour group and Golf takes us to a nice restaurant and then on to a bar where we all say our goodbyes and exchange names and email addresses.
Today we move on to another part of Bangkok to the Siam@Siam Hotel, we try to get a taxi, the first one wanting 400 baht which we refused and then got another for 200 baht. The hotel is very good and we were welcomed with tea and coffee while we checked in. Great views from the upstairs bar and restaurant. We walk into the central shopping area, lots of malls with air con. Then its off to Jim Thompsons House, the local tourist attraction. Not very exciting, an old house and we are told the story of Jim Thompson and his dissappearance. Tonight we decide to visit Hard Rock Cafe. We find out the hotel offers free drinks between 6pm and 8pm for guests staying on their executive floors so we took advantage of this before going onto Hard Rock. Just outside our hotel a tuk tuk offers to take us for 50 baht, so we accept, but then he tries to take us to a disco. We start to get out as we are getting fed up and he relents and says he will take us to Hard Rock. When we get there, its not very busy as
it's Sunday, but we order a large plate of nachos and the usual burgers and fries, much nicer than cabbage and rice😉 We had cocktails and then Sue brought the t shirt. We then went back to our hotel and sat in the bar in the open air on the 25th floor overlooking the city. Very expensive but very nice.
Next day its out to Sukhumvit Road area, but this turns out to be boring during the daytime, so we decide to get 90 minute thai massages. We choose a nice place along one of the back streets and are welcomed with a cold ginger drink, before getting our feet washed and shown to the massage room where we get pajamas to change into - typically one size fits all and Bill's top just won't go on! Anyway the girls come in and start the massage - and it is seriously painful - the hardest we have ever had. Bill gets the bigger girl and all of her weight is used at various times - but for the first time ever this girl has the knowledge and ability to get right into the bad areas on Bill's back 😊
Wayne - get over here to see her! After this we decide the hotel's pool is the only place to go - its an infinity pool on 11th floor and very nice - except it is overcast so we don't stay long. A short rest and we head off to the exec lounge for free pour your own drinks before dinner. There is a great view of Thailands National Stadium from the balcony and we just miss seeing a footie game. Still we get talking to an Aussie couple, only to find that Bill has met his match in the free drinks stakes 😞 We are warned that the free bar is about close and the guy tops his wine glass to the brim - fair enough - but he then goes back and fills up a half pint glass with wine as well. Defeated we head off for dinner - not far to go - into the lift to the open air restaurant on 25th floor of the hotel. Only to find it has not yet opened due to rain - anyway we have a drink in the bar, the rain clears up and the staff dry the restaurant
out. We get a nice table at the edge with a great view of the Bangkok skyline at night - fantastic 😊 The speciallity of this restaurant is 'ccok your own' on hot stones. We both order steak and up comes this thick wooden platter with a thick hot stone on which our first piece of steak is sizzling away - we slice and cook and then put on the second piece of raw steak which has been sitting on the table - a really odd but tasty meal, with a good wine and a great view. What a way to go 😊 😊
Our last day in Bangkok and we think its a day too much - we are all templed out and can't face the thought of more shopping so we decide to go to Lumpini Park, which is a great big open space with lakes right in the centre of the city. First thing we see is watering of the grass and plants 'thai style' - basically a water tanker on wheels spraying the verges! Walking on a bit further we see a weird looking monument - it is a monument of a water aeriator, which
was designed and patented by the King many years ago - and then we see it in operation on one of the lakes. Sitting down for a rest we watch a group of people who seem to be practicing some sort of martial arts training, but in slow motion. Still it was good to look at - getting up we almost bump into a huge lizard on the grass - he only lets us get to within about 2 metres and then he slinks off into the water - no matter, we see another 3 or 4 as we walk round !
Not sure what else we will do today, probably go for another swim in the pool and then we will go for free drinks again and might try the Sukhumvit Road to eat at tonight - probably followed by a visit to the Soi (alley) on our map that says not to take your kids to 😉 But we can't be late as we have to be up early tomorrow to travel to Borneo to climb Mout Kinabaloo and and meet up with Debbie, Gail and Malcolm.
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